On the Pitch Lake of Trinidad. 155 
In no part of the ascent from the shore of the lake does the 
less fracture. In places where the surface is not protected by 
vegetation it becomes so far softened by the sun as to be still 
making progress downward. 
On nearing the lake the ascent becomes steeper, amounting to 
perhaps twenty-five feet in the last ten rods. Here the pitch is 
bare or but slightly covered with grass. Its appearance is not 
that of a sudden simultaneous overflow in a single smooth stream, 
but that of a great number of streams each but a few yards or 
rods in breadth. 
These independent streams have jostled one another strangely 
in their progress. ‘Their surfaces are wrinkled and drawn out 
into all manner of contortions, and where the edges meet, small 
ridges have been thrown up and the pitch broken into fragments 
not unlike the scoriz of lava currents. These fragments of pitch 
were on fire in several places, having been kindled by a fire which 
ran through the “ bush” a few weeks before. It is fortunate that 
the pitch when compact will not kindle, or in other words will 
not burn without a wick, for otherwise the entire region inclu- 
ding the village of La Braye might suffer the fate of Sodom and 
» The distance from the landing to the lake is three-fourths of a 
mile, the rise ninety-six feet. 
= direction of the principal stream from the lake is due 
north. 
On ascending the last slope of this pitchy glacier a singular 
Scene meets the eye. A black and circular plain of pitch half a 
mile in diameter lies flush with the edge of the stream. It is 
Surrounded by a dense wall of forest in which various species of 
tall palms are most conspicuous. 
The lake itself is entirely bare of vegetation, except about 
twenty small clumps of trees which are arranged in a sort of 
a circle about half way from the center to the circum- 
erence. 
the water was so far reduced that it was easy to pass over all parts 
of the lake by leaping the channels. At other seasons this is 
more difficult. | 
